Zack Andrusiak broke a 1-1 tie with under five minutes to play en route to a 3-1 Cyclones victory over the Iowa Heartlanders Friday night at Heritage Bank Center.
The 'Clones remain hotter than hot, earning points in 16 straight games while improving their record to 38-12-6-3. Cincinnati stays just a point back of first in the Centra Division with 85 points.
- Mark Sinclair and Hunter Jones faced off in a goaltender's duel, combining for 64 saves with Sinclair owning 29 for the win. The Cyclones goaltender steered away a two-on-one in the second period with Brendan Robbins taking the shot, along with stopping Heartlanders forward Yuki Miura all night long, who registered a team high-five shots on net.
- Patrick Polino (17) broke the ice 9:55 into the second period with the game's first goal. The Buffalo, New York native received a pass from Matt Berry on the left-wing side, then skated into the lower corner of the circle before rifling a shot past Jones' blocker to get the 'Clones up, 1-0. Dajon Mingo, who returned to the lineup for the first time since February 1, picked up a secondary assist on the goal. Polino now has 15 points (7G-8A) in his last 11 games. He scored his second of the night with under four minutes to play in the third to give Cincinnati a 3-1 lead with his 18th of the season.
- Fast forward to the third period and Tyler Busch evened the game on a power play goal 5:21 into the third, swatting a bouncing puck that was sent toward Sinclair on the initial drive from Nolan Orzeck.
- The Cyclones picked up the pace following Iowa's goal, outshooting the Heartlanders, 14-7 in the third, and ultimately setting the stage for a late-period push. Andrusiak (26) crossed over the Heartlander line with 4:45 left in the third, collecting a cross-ice pass down low from Kohen Olischefski before driving it past Jones, giving the Cyclones a 2-1 edge. Polino scored on a backhand shot while on a breakaway just 1:16 later for the 3-1 final.
- Cincinnati concludes its season series with the Heartlanders Saturday night in game two of three on the weekend at Heritage Bank Center.
